Nigeria
#EndSARS: Over 17 police stations burnt in Lagos – official
The police in Lagos, on Friday, warned that the burning of several police stations across the state will lead to retrogression and a waste of money that could have been deployed to other projects. The police spokesperson in the state, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, gave the warning in an interview with newsmen in Lagos. “The implication of this is that money that has been set aside to do other projects and develop certain areas will have to be channeled into repairing these damaged stations.” He said that over 17 police formations across the state have been totally or partially razed by fire, set on them by thugs who infiltrated the #EndSARS protesters. “Also, it will make our work harder now because we will have to enhance our patrols in order to cover more grassroots areas that are normally covered ...
#EndSARS: Oyo veteran journalists condemn attacks on media houses
The League of Veteran Journalists, Oyo State Chapter, has condemned the burning down and destruction of media houses in Lagos, by fifth columnists that infiltrated the ranks of the #EndSars protesters. According to a statement by the Chairman of the League, Mr Banji Ogundele, the burning down of Vintage Press Ltd, publishers of The Nation, was condemnable and unacceptable. He said that the #EndSars protesters respected the Press and courted on them to help publicise their actions to the outside world, noting that the destruction was the work of the fifth columnists that wanted to give the protesters a bad name. Ogundele said that other media houses that were vandalised included TVC Network, Radio Lagos, Eko FM and traffic FM. He described the action as not only dangerous and unacceptable, ...
#EndSARS: Troops take over Oyigbo as fresh mob attacks hit Rivers
File Photo Troops of the Nigerian Army and the policemen have taken over the Oyigbo Local Government Area in Rivers State following fresh mob attacks in the area. The State Police Command had said members of the Indigenous People of Biafra were responsible for killing two of its operatives and burning of two police stations in the area on Wednesday. Gunshots rent the area from Thursday night till Friday morning as soldiers repel the hoodlums but there were still flashes of violence in Oyigbo. Governor Nyesom Wike had placed a 24-hour curfew on the local government but residents said they could not sleep because of the shootings. Chairman of Oyigbo LGA, Gerald Aforji, while reacting to the incident on Friday morning, said soldiers had intervened to restore calm in the area. Get more stories...
#EndSARS: Institute invites protesters for dialogue
The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has invited the youths currently protesting against police brutality with the hashtag, #ENDSARS for a dialogue with officials of the institute. The Director-General of the institute, Dr Bakut Bakut, who planned the dialogue spoke in a statement signed by IPCR Head of Media, Mr Musa Mato on Thursday in Abuja. Bakut said that the invitation was extended to the protesters to engage them in discussions with a view to ending the social unrest by youths in the country. ‘’The institute is willing and ready to facilitate a dialogue between all stakeholders to restore peace in the country and move the society forward. ”No conflict has actually come to an end without dialogue. Therefore, let us stop the violent protests and dialogue for the sake...
#EndSARS: President Buhari urged to probe Lekki shootings
A coalition of women groups, Mothers United and Mobilised (MUM), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to constitute a transparent panel of inquiry into alleged shooting of unarmed EndSARS protesters in Lekki on Tuesday. The coalition made the call in a statement issued on Thursday by its Convener and Co-convener, Dr Boluwaji Onabolu and Mrs Sonye Allanah, respectively. MUM is a group of Nigerian mothers from all walks of life, ethnic and religious groups, based in Nigeria and in Diaspora. The Mothers United and Mobilised said that the probe should unravel “who ordered the shootings, who carried it out and how are they being held accountable.” “We call on President Muhammadu Buhari as Father of the Nation to cease and desist from the use of live bullets and teargas against our children,...
#EndSARS: Police confirm attack on station in Ebonyi
The Police Command in Ebonyi has confirmed Thursday’s attack on Uburu Police Station in Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state by suspected hoodlums. The Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi, Mr Philip Maku, said suspected hoodlums attacked some police officers on duty, after which they razed the station down. According to him, some of the police officers sustained several degrees of injuries while trying to manage the situation. Newsmen report that the burnt police station is located at the back of the house of the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonaya Onu, in Uburu Community. The CP, however, condemned the attack and urged officers and men of the command to remain calm and continue to manage the situation professionally. Newsmen recall that some suspected hoodlums, under the guis...
#EndSARS: HURIWA charges President Buhari to set up assets recovery panel
Foremost rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has condemned what it called the silence of President Muhammadu Buhari over protests against operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, a unit of the Nigeria Police Force, in the past two weeks. The group in a statement issued by its national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, on Thursday, claimed that “certain ethno-religious extremists have been paid by some government officials to stoke the embers of ethno–religious division to graphically paint the #EndSARS movements with ethnic and religious colourations.” The statement noted that youths of the country are angry “because the elders who have had access to public offices and those wielding political powers have continuously feasted on the comm...
House of Rep member arraigned over ‘N1.6 million bribe’
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has charged a member of the House of Representatives, Oghuma Egwakhide, for allegedly collecting N1.6 million as bribe from three contractors. In a statement on Thursday, the commission said Mr Egwakhide was charged on a four-count before Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Jabi. The commission accused Mr Egwakhide, who represents Etsako East/West/Central Federal Constituency, Edo State, of collecting kickbacks from contractors handling school projects in his constituency. The ICPC said investigations revealed that Mr Egwakhide, demanded 10 per cent kickbacks from the N16.5 million contract for the construction of one block of three classrooms at Fugar Mixed Secondary Sc...
NSA: President Buhari to announce critical solution to #EndSARS protest in hours
The National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno, says President Muhammadu Buhari is to announce a critical solution to the #EndSARS protest in a couple of hours. Monguno, who made this known at the end of the fourth National Security Council meeting, presided by the president in Abuja on Thursday said Buhari also directed all security agencies to always operate within the confine of legitimacy and legality. He said the president also urged the security agencies to always avoid anything that would aggravate the nation’s security challenges. He also stated that the president would soon come up with certain solutions to address the security challenges in the country, saying the president directed that government would also do all it could to arrive at ...
Hollywood-backed Quibi to shutter six months after launch
Streaming service Quibi said on Wednesday it intends to wind down its operations and start a process to sell its assets, just six months after its launch. The announcement highlights the dominance that Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV+ hold over smaller streaming service providers, which struggle to keep up against their large content budgets and vast libraries of shows. “The world has changed dramatically since Quibi launched and our standalone business model is no longer viable,” founder Jeffrey Katzenberg said in a statement. Los Angeles-based Quibi offers entertainment and news in episodes of 10 minutes or less on mobile phones, initially promoted for on-the-go viewing. The service was priced at $5 a month with advertisements, or $8 a month without them. “Our failure...
#EndSARS: Enugu government exempts essential, emergency workers from curfew
The Enugu State Government has exempted health, essential, and emergency workers from the curfew imposed on the three Local Government Areas (LGAs) that make up Enugu metropolis. The state’s Commissioner for Information, Mr Chidi Aroh, gave the clarification in a statement on Thursday. Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, on Wednesday, imposed a 24-hour curfew on the three LGAs – Enugu East, Enugu North, and Enugu South, after the EndSARS protest turned violent. “Sequel to the earlier announcement on the imposition of a 24-hour curfew on Enugu metropolis, the government has approved that persons on essential services in the affected areas such as health care workers, the staff of water corporation, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), fire service, and State Emergency Management Agency had bee...
Governor Sanwo-Olu: I have been unable to speak with President Buhari
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, said he was yet to speak directly with President Muhammadu Buhari concerning the shooting of #EndSARS protesters in the State. Sanwo-Olu in an interview on Thursday said he called Buhari twice but he was at the Federal Executive Meeting, FEC, on Wednesday. The Governor stated that the Chief of Defense Staff called him on behalf of the President but did not disclose details of the phone call. He said, ”I have not spoken to president Muhammadu Buhari directly. I called the President twice but the first time he was not at the office. The second time he was at the FEC meeting. ”Although the Chief of Defense staff called me and acknowledge that the President received my message.” As of the time of filing this report, there have been calls for President ...
